The one Pro had been back to Springfield Custom for peening of the slide stop notch after about 1500rds or so. It also has poor beavertail fit for a higher end gun. The other has a rear sight that extends past the end of slide. The feed ramps on both are short. Both have run well so far and been very accurate, but knowing what I know now I would buy a Wilson. Professionals are not worth the prices people are getting for them, but do have good resale. I think it was better when I believed the hype.
I have these 2 PRO’s:
The non-railed version was purchased in 2005 and was sent back to the Springfield Custom Shop for a new extractor in the first 100 rounds. After that, it ran like a champ and now has about 4000 rounds thru her. The railed gun only has about 1000 rounds but there has not been any problems.
As four your question about austere conditions, the DEA agents that I met on my last trip to A-stan were using PRO’s. I imagine that the FBI regional SWAT and HRT give them a good workout. In addition, about 150 PRO’s were acquired by the Marines in 2005 for use by some MEU(SOC) units. I’m not not aware of WC pistols being used by any large agencies or being tested to the extent of the PRO. Having said that, I’m sure that the CQB will go bang when you pull the trigger under most conditions.
I have owned two Wilsons and one was problematic.
Wilson tap danced around the issue and after twice back to the factory and the issue not being resolved, my gunsmith got it to run (with ball ammo anyhow) and I sold it. They went so far as to try and blame me for limp wristing this steel gun (although I never even had that issue with any of the six aluminum / smaller 1911s that I have owned). Then they told me that they didn’t find anything wrong after test firing it (second trip back) but the rep didn’t get his story straight as the gunsmith sent all of the parts that were replaced back in the case with the gun and you could see the freshly blued parts
on the gun.
My Pro did have one issue and Springfield’s customer service was the best that I have ever experienced. With the Pro’s testing track record, how Springfield treated me and how my Pro is my favorite of nearly a dozen 1911s that I own including a Chuck Rogers Colt,
I think that the Pro is an incredible value.
Hogs gone wild,
Are you saying that you prefer the SA pro over a custom built Chuck Rogers Colt 1911 pistol?
I have seen examples of both, and while not knocking the SA custom shop, you would be hard pressed to convince me that a Pro is in Rogers’ league. He may not be the nicest pig in the litter, but he has few peers in his craft.
I’d take a Baer UTC and a Dillon 550 over either of them. 
What about them didn’t impress you?
Baer’s not all he’s cracked up to be. I’d go with the Wilson in a heartbeat over a Baer. I’d go with just about any higher end gun, either a Dan Wesson, Ed Brown, WC, SPringfield TRP, etc. over a Baer, though.
The Pro earned it’s reputation in some serious testing. Not many can claim that.
My Rogers Colt is prettier than the pro, carries better from the rounding, melting, golf-balling, etc., and would fetch a much higher resale than the Pro (although Pros hold their value well). They both are equally accurate. I would trust either one more than any 1911 that I have owned before and would choose them both over most anything else on the market. Chuck’s work is a bit of art, although, my example isn’t the fanciest one he has made. It was set up to function, for sure.
Something about the Pro, I just like shooting it more than my Rogers’ Colt. Just a bit. They are both good guns and all business but if I had to pay what I could probably fetch for my Colt (I got a smoking deal, used, as new) I would buy the Pro and pocket the difference (enough for another Pro) and never look back. My Pro looks like the epitome of what a 1911 should look like (in my mind) and it was a very good value. Chuck’s Colt was an incredible find and I often think of it as a good investment. Both are very trustworthy and both are fun to shoot. Can’t do better than that.
Thought I would add (for perspective) that I sent my Pro back to the Custom Shop to remove the extended magwell and install a flush mainspring housing, plus, they brought the trigger down to a dreamy four pound crisp pull.
My gunsmith field stripped and looked at my Baer SRP and my Springfield Pro, side by side one day. He found about six things that he pointed out to me that were flaws or just poorly fitted items in the Baer. When he looked over my Springfield Pro, he was impressed with the quality and found nothing wrong with it. Both guns have run well although I did have an extractor issue with the Baer. I fixed that myself in time to put 900 rounds through it in a class with zero failures to feed or function. The issues that my gunsmith pointed out were things that he explained were sloppy and could bite me if left unchecked over time. The SRP was very accurate but everything about it seemed cruder than my Pro. The Pro has a much crisper / better trigger than the Baer. The Baer cost nearly what the Pro cost but I don’t feel it was in the same class as the Pro, at all.
The Baer did not hold it’s value at all and one gentleman got a hell of a deal on it.
No shit, they’re also $800 more. 
Had both.
The Wilson’s I’ve had have been excellent & FBI Pro CRG as well.
I’m aware of the barrel throat splitting issues et al.
So far my FBI Pro CRG w/ rail has been outstanding.
My belief is at that level/quality your splitting hairs at some point.
YMMV…
Having played around with most of the higher end 1911’s available for sale in CA, I think the WC CQB and Ed Brown SF are excellent. The weird thing is I don’t see the CQB Railed version on WC’s website anymore (except for a Lighweight version).
Whether you choose the CQB or Professional, rest assured that you are going to get one hell of a 1911. Not only that, but Springfield and Wilson have the best warranties in the business.
I’m not a fan of the MIM that Springfield uses in the Professional. I agree that a 1911 at this price point shouldn’t use any. But let’s be clear, the Pro is a gun built to the FBI’s specs, even if they are available for purchase by anyone. Springfield doesn’t care if 1911 enthusiasts dislike their use of MIM, the FBI is just fine with it and it is only the FBI’s opinion matters on this particular model.
That said, if you dislike MIM that much, but still want a 1911 with the Pro’s all-business appearance and awesome warranty, you can order a Custom Carry from the Springfield Custom Shop. Tell them that you want to spec it out just like the Pro, but that you want to swap out the MIM internals for Wilson bulletproof parts (or any other high quality parts). The Custom Carry will be built to the same high standards as the Pro as the Pro is nothing more than a CC made according to the FBI’s build sheet. Keep in mind though that you take your chances with non-Springfield parts. Springfield warranties their parts against defects (including the MIM ones). Understandably they do not offer this same warranty on other manufacturer’s products. Strange thing that in this specific case, Springfield’s MIM offers more peace of mind than Wilson or even EGW parts.
I shoot and carry a pro w/ light rail. It has been absolutely flawless and i have put approximately 6000 rounds through it in less than a year including a 2000+ round course. It feeds anything and cycles anything from hot +p Jhp’s to 165 power factor ipsc/idpa loads. I have also had it in some pretty bad conditions including muddy/wet/snow woods patrols to competition matches where I’m picking the mags up off the ground and shaking the mud out of them. The rough 20lpi checkering is not nearly as pleasant feeling when you are holding it in a gun shop but that thing will not let go of your hand no matter how sweaty or slick your hands are.
I have a few complaints about it, but they are relatively minor. I don’t like the ambi safety (I’m a righty), I wish they didn’t use mim (more for my own piece of mind then any real disadvantages), and the trigger pull weight is on the heavy side for a 1911 (around 4.5#). The gun is issued to me so I do not have the freedom to change these things. I have no experience with the Wilson.
There is no reason to pick either pistol over the other, prices being equal. The Wilson and SA are quality manufacturers and both try to give great service after the sale. So if there is an issue, you will get it resolved.
Some might say that the Wilsons will lose a little more value on resale than the SA PRO, but I have seen examples where each can be acquired at good prices used. The exception here is that you will see very few used Pros on the market, that is because fewer SA Pros are made IMHO. SA offers CS on their used, as well as, new models. I just don’t know about wilsons ( but I believe it would be the same ).
It boils down to what someone else said earlier, go and hold each of these pistols. Make sure you like them in your hand. if not, then I would not sweat it and wait, no production pistol is that great to fork out $2,500 before you know you want it. Although, I prefer the 1911’s, they ain’t that special ( of course, unless they are a Rodgers, Rodgers, & Heirloom, etc…)
Goodluck.
+1 spot on.
The PRO is a nice gun, but I would still put all my support to WC. There CS is 2nd to none and the extremely nice part about them is that my CQB is built just as nice as my buddies Supergrade! If I didnt order WC’s, my next option would be SA indeed though over anyone else
So, you two gentlemen would like me to change my honest OPINION that I offered because you two have SEEN examples of both?
Have you extensively shot examples of both?
You pay for the supermodel every time. The non-supermodel that does everything else as well and perhaps certain things more to my likes for half of the price can be very endearing.
If you re-read my post comparing the two above, you will note that I like both guns plenty.
One thing I truly believe (and I wish I could tell you the name of a certain top tier gunsmith that has said this but he will remain un-named out of respect for him and his trade) is that you can only do so much to theses guns. Past a point, it is all looks and reputation that you are paying for. Do you really think the doubled price tag makes the gun shoot even 10% better than a well made gun in the 3K price range?
It doesn’t really matter because there are plenty of 1911 buffs out there that will dump the coin on 1911s that have mega price tags and I say good. Nothing wrong with buying top end stuff but it is nice to know that you are not going through life lacking anything if you never can afford more than the Pro.
Hogwild,
I would not ask you to change your opinion on what you know. I have been thru two SA Pros extensively, and I feel that I was quite intimate with those two. Read my listed issues. They are specific. Does this mean that all SA Pros have issues, I doubt it.
This next response leaves alot of great 1911 pistolsmiths out only because I have not seen their work and discussed issues with them.
Having said the above, why would I prefer a pistol prepped ( I did not say custom job ) by a man like Bob Rodgers or Chuck Rogers, Dwayne Guefe or even Jeremy Reid ( last one is a young upstart, learning under Bob ). I have seen all four of these gentlemen’s work, and to me, they understand what it takes to make the 1911 run just about as efficiently as it can ( won’t puke when you need it ). It is the little things they prep inside where they create a safe pistol that works to perfection. Yes, I have seen the little things they do for tuning /reliability work in a 1911. They are things you would never think about.
And when I pick up “top end stuff” at the ShotShow and don’t see the same attention to detail, I appreciate their work more. Some people think it is okay to have a FTF, FTE or FTRB every 100 rounds or so, one of the above gentlemen gets pissed if he hears about those every 1K rounds. My first class pistol ( Bob Rodger’s class ) has not puked since initial barrel throat issues, 3K to date, and that is nothing special.
Lastly, I agree with you about $4-$5K+ custom 1911 pistols, in that they are more of a collector’s piece. That is not my cup of tea. However, if you prefer to shoot 1911’s ( and I do ) I would not compare a Wilson CQB, SA PRO or other semi-production pistol ( out of the box ) favorably to a 1911 worked over by one of these gentlemen or the other great 1911smiths for that matter. This is obviously based on my limited knowledge.
Grant, I would be really interested to hear what you were not impressed with. Were these recent production models, and what specifically did you not like about them?
I haven’t heard of too many recent issues with Springer Pros, and have had good success with 2 custom Springfields myself, still have one of them. Have even been holding out to eventually get one of these, but if there’s solid evidence that SA is slipping in their QA, I’d be willing to look to Wilson, Cylinder & Slide, or one of the other high quality semi-custom shops.